Lynchburg encouraging residents to be fit

According to the Associated Press, Lynchburg is planning a new challenge to encourage residents to get fit.

Live Healthy Lynchburg will kick off the "Strive for 5" challenge on Monday. Residents will be encouraged to perform at least 30 minutes of physical activity five days a week.

Last year, the health initiative challenged residents to lose 12 tons of weight. Residents met that challenge last August.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's latest health rankings list Lynchburg as the 59th healthiest out of 133 Virginia communities.

Councilwoman Joan Foster tells The News & Advance that the rankings were disappointing. But she says it will take time to turn things around. She says she's seeing a new level of awareness about health issues.